Illinois football notes: Vic Koenning says D needs to keep pushing

Wednesday

Sep 28, 2011 at 12:01 AMSep 28, 2011 at 6:52 PM

Driving toward the Memorial Stadium football complex early Tuesday morning from his home near Monticello, Illinois defensive coordinator Vic Koenning listened to a radio evangelist who preached on pushing forward and handling life's challenges.

John Supinie

CHAMPAIGN -- Driving toward the Memorial Stadium football complex early Tuesday morning from his home near Monticello, Illinois defensive coordinator Vic Koenning listened to a radio evangelist who preached on pushing forward and handling life's challenges.

Koenning evidently felt the message worked in his line of work, because he's not ready to say his defense is playing very well despite the lofty statistical rankings. No. 24 Illinois (4-0) returned to the top 25 and stayed there more because of the defense than the offense prior to facing Northwestern (2-1) in the Big Ten opener for both teams at Memorial Stadium Saturday (11 a.m., ESPN2).

"We're not heading in the right direction if we're not having obstacles put in front of us,'' Koenning said. "Whether it's people writing things in the media, guys getting hurt or being tired or girlfriends getting mad at us.

"We know we have obstacles in front of us. It's how we deal with those that determine our success.''

Illinois is ranked fifth nationally in rushing defense, but the Illini only played pass-oriented offenses, Koenning said. The Illini are also 11th in scoring defense and 18th in total defense.

"We've just got to play as well as we can play,'' Koenning said. "I'll worry about the stats when the season is over.''

Koenning remained focused on the next obstacle: the return of Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa. The Illini will also prepare to face sophomore Kain Colter and Trevor Siemian, who handled the duty in the first two games.

"I'm not not preparing for Persa, but we've got to make sure we prepare for both quarterbacks in the event anything happens,'' Koenning said.

STATUS CHECK: Chris Jones, a freshman defensive tackle, pleaded guilty to aggravated battery last week and released from Champaign County Jail after serving 79 days, but coach Ron Zook didn't offer details on Jones' status with the Illini.

"It's a little bit in limbo,'' Zook said. "We're still waiting to see how it plays out.''

Jones must serve 24 months of probation and 100 hours of community service. He will submit, blood, saliva and tissue samples to state police.

NAME GAME: Zook said offensive tackle Jeff Allen would play after getting thrown out of the game against Western Michigan for a personal foul. Zook wouldn't elaborate on the play. Offensive tackle Corey Lewis, who is returning from knee surgery, won't play against Northwestern.

Linebacker Ashante Williams will need more time to learn his position after missing preseason camp following a DUI arrest in July, Koenning said. Williams played four snaps on defense against Western Michigan Saturday in his first game back.

BAD PASS: Illinois officials warned fans of about 40 counterfeit parking passes seized last weekend, and the school said parking passes bought from scalpers may not be valid. The athletic department doesn't use third-party outlets for selling passes or tickets.

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnSupinie.